Stranded
by batoracle
Summary: Reylo stranded in the desert; Alternate ending to TLJ. When Rey first comes to in the throne room, the Supremacy is on the verge of tearing apart and taking everyone on board with it. Rey cannot leave Ben behind, especially after saving her life. She drags him to his ship and escapes but gets hit by massive debris just when she realises that they were falling down to Jakku.
1. Home

It had only been days when she last told Han Solo that she best be getting back home. When she had first uttered it, the idea of 'home' did not conjure up the image of being in the Rebel base with the other Resistance fighters. It was ironic then that Rey would find herself back in Jakku with Han Solo's son now.

Kylo Ren had not come to yet. Rey had flown the both of them on his TIE silencer, unsure of where to head to until they had been struck by massive debris just when she saw a nearby planet. The fall was a long one and the landing was brutal. Perhaps even fatal had it not been sand which they landed on.

The ship suffered massive damages that rendered it no longer functional. With the light going out, Rey was forced to make a campsite at the ruins of his ship for the night. She had set up a small fire, telling herself that he was going to gain back his consciousness anytime already. When that did not happen, she crouched over where she had laid him to check for any blood pulse. It felt odd to take the glove off the very hand that he had held out to her. The curiosity to feel his palm played over her head but Rey shook it off before she could entertain it.

She held his wrist in silence, waiting for a pulse. When she felt it, another hand grabbed her wrist. Rey's eyes shot up to meet his and her survival instincts kicked instantly. "Let go of me."

To her surprise, he did. He sat up, his wary eyes not leaving hers until he deemed it safe to look around at their surroundings.

"Where are we?"

"You're in Jakku."

"How did this happen?"

Rey hesitated. But it did not take long for him to search through the most recent parts of her memory for an explanation. She was quick to block him out just as he had entered.

"Don't do that again."

"You saved me," he uttered. "Why?"

Shaking her head, Rey answered, "I couldn't leave you there to die."

" - That wasn't going to happen," he stubbornly corrected.

"The entire right wing of the ship had been cut off."

"All the same," he said, unimpressed. Having decided to forego the details of her intentions, Kylo watched her intently, eager to ask her a more pressing question. He struggles to stand up while a crouched Rey observes him warily.

When she realises that he was headed to check on the ship to salvage what he could, she cuts in, "I've checked it all already - there's nothing we can do about it. It's wreckage."

Had it been an officer of the First Order who had reported this, a force choke might have come in the way. Kylo Ren was not pleased to hear this. But having established the importance that Rey embodied, there was nothing he could do. With a resolved sigh, he looks over at her, her face immediately reminding him of the grandiose offer he had made, only to be met with an attempt to take the lightsaber from him instead. If he had not felt rejection as profoundly since the night that Luke Skywalker betrayed him, he felt it very much when Rey's first instinct was to arm herself against him.

He didn't have to check to know that his lightsaber was not with him. Not looking in her way, he mutters, "Give me my lightsaber back." He would not utter a plea to her from them on out.

He missed the hesitation that appeared in her eyes. Rey eventually stood up and drew out his weapon from her back as she walked over to him. They were alone and stranded in the middle of nowhere, and if he was going to kill her, he would have to think twice about it. But the light in her convinced her that she could trust him - that she _should_ trust him.

There were a lot of unsaid things that demanded attention, but it was not the right time. "I'm putting a lot of faith in you with this, Ben."

That name, again. A snarl itched on his face as he brought himself to look at her. "You already know why I wouldn't finish you here and now," he reminded. He took the lightsaber forcefully from her and tucked it in his belt.

 _You're nothing. Nothing … But not to me._

Something about what Kylo Ren said made her heart sink while making her alarms go off. It took an enormous amount of humility from someone of his rank to ask or even _beg_ her. The temptation and desire to be wanted and to feel like she belonged was overwhelming. But images of her friends back with the Resistance conjured up before her eyes and suddenly she saw the other side of this loaded plea once more.

"That vision you saw. I know what I saw too," she said. "I'm sorry, but I won't let myself be the one to turn."

Kylo looks at her, anger and frustration raging in his eyes. "And what makes you think I will?"

"Because you killed Snoke. You saved my life. There's no one restraining you anymore. Who will you answer to now?"

"Myself, of course." It felt like he was spitting out poison. Saying so was liberating in many aspects for Kylo Ren. For a long time, he was finally indefinitely in control now. At least once he gets off this desert and back to the fleet.

He was quick to catch the hint of fear that flashed across Rey's eyes. Deciding to take advantage of this, he takes a step forward towards her, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he scrutinised her. He didn't need to know that she had fearfully blocked her side of the force bond in case he attempts to scavenge her mind again. "You knew it, didn't you?"

"Knew what?"

"Is that why your first instinct was to _kill_ _me_? Do you really think you can wipe clean the First Order if Snoke was no longer around and _I_ no longer available to assume power?" He was angry now. If she hadn't known any better, there was a hurt from betrayal in his voice.

"No!" She protested. Rey was just realising how her actions have been wrongly interpreted. Despite so, she could not justify herself to him. It was her scavenger and survival instincts that propelled her to arm herself first.

"Enough of the saintly act, you're no Jedi - you're just as flawed and vulnerable as your master."

"I had no intentions of killing you!" She pressed. "You know very well that I believe as strongly as you do in my version of the vision so as to not kill you."

"There's no need for pretension here, scavenger."

"Was I to assume that you would have settled for a simple yes or no answer?"

He had not thought about it, but had she said no to him instead of reaching out for the lightsaber, would he have just let her walk away? Waving it off, Kylo Ren turned his back on her. "It doesn't matter now. You couldn't have made your answer any clearer."


	2. Niima Outpost

The rest that first night was not a comfortable one. Both their senses were high on alert, excessively wary of each other's backs as they tried to get some sleep. It took some time before each of them decided that it was safe to give in to unconsciousness. When Kylo's side of the force had fallen silent, Rey knew she could sleep in peace. However, the sound of hurt and betrayal from Kylo Ren's voice kept her awake. It replayed in her mind and the gnawing guilt kept her conscience focused on him. She knew she did not have to feel this way, having made the ultimate right choice over the wrong one. But he had long demonstrated to her how he could put aside his caution and _trust_ her. Could she have possibly lost it all just when she had just gained it?

Light began to peek from the horizon. There was no use in trying to fall asleep. He would be up by the time she could get any rest. Rey decided to make herself useful if they wanted to survive the day.

Soon enough Kylo Ren awoke to the sound of clanking. It was still early in the morning but the bright light already made it difficult for him to see visibly. The first thing that came to his mind was Rey. Followed by his lightsaber. He felt for it, relieved to know it was still there. When that was done, he finally shifted to face the source of the sound.

There amidst the wreckage of his ship he saw Rey struggling to pull out a dismantled metal piece from his ship. "What are you doing?" The sight of her got him to get up, striding over furiously to put a stop to it. As he neared her, he saw a pile of good pieces of metal and functional parts of the ship's engine on the sand next to her.

"If your idea of fixing the ship is to dismantle it, I've clearly overestimated you. Now stop it!" Kylo demanded just as Rey successfully pulled out a large piece.

It was then that he realised that she had torn a piece from her clothes to make a headscarf. Panting, she pulled down the front part of the scarf to breathe while revealing a look of disbelief flashed at him.

"I'm not trying to fix it," she corrected him as she flung the metal work with the rest of the pile. "I'm gonna try to sell it if we want to survive." _He wouldn't know_ , she thought to herself _._ He wasn't born into a life of labour.

Kylo Ren rolled his eyes. It was as if she could not see what he was seeing: an endless horizon of sand. "Yeah sell it to the night creatures that sleeps beneath, you mean?"

She sensed his condescension and Rey decided she would not have any of it.

"No, there's a town that way. These could get us something to live on for a day." She turns her back at him and fixed the pile up for carrying.

"And I suppose you got an imaginary map that directed you to it?"

At this, Rey glowered at him, clearly fed up with his lack of usefulness. "You think you know so much?" was all she said. "This is _home_. I lived here." With a resounding sigh she turned her attention back to the pile of metal.

The revelation seemed to have silenced Kylo Ren. The both of them had both picked on how to close their side of the force bond and he was somewhat grateful for it. The new information was not shocking per se, but finding out something new about the mere scavenger that could skilfully wield the Force as well as he could was staggering.

Unsure of what to feel about his reaction, Rey shakes her head and turns around. "Now if you want to starve to death, you can stay here. But I'm going to be finding some good trade-ins to last me the day." She hauls the handle of the net sack over her good shoulder and starts to pull it behind her.

Another blow to his ego, but at least it was not as demeaning as her rejection on the _Supremacy_. He trudged behind her, and he knew she knew he would follow.

"You're gonna want to blend in without the cape. It might make a good air filter."

Kylo Ren was not one to take any orders - or advice - from anyone but the Supreme Leader whom he killed. But Rey had a point. He begrudgingly tore off his cape and made a headgear out of it now that he was left without a helmet to use.

The walk was a long one, more than what the Jedi killer was used to. But there was no room to complain. They were going to get to town, get some supplies and he would then find some contacts to bring him back to the First Order.

It did not take long for Rey's good arm to be worn out from pulling the load of metal. While still ahead of Kylo Ren, she paused to shift the handle of the net sack over to her bad shoulder where she had suffered an injury from the fight in the throne room.

Meanwhile, ten steps behind her, Kylo saw her grit her teeth and swallow down the pain as she carried on. She was a hardworking and persevering one for sure. He had to acknowledge her for the times she displayed such unrelenting determination - even if that attitude had been directed against him. With his long strides, he picked up the pace to reach her side and take the handle of the sack from her.

No words nor looks were exchanged as he walked ahead of her, pulling the load of metal with more ease than she did with her wounded side. Rey watched him, slightly stumped at this small act of consideration. Before she could let her mind wander off to analyse the meaning behind his actions, she realised she was falling behind and quickly picked up her speed. An act of kindness perhaps, but Rey could not afford to let herself be deluded or overestimate his odd propensity for goodness. She knew that he had already realised the importance of surviving on what they could if they both wanted to fulfill each of the visions they saw. Perhaps that was the only reason that propelled him to take over in carrying the cumbersome load.

Kylo Ren carried the load all the way, ignoring the soreness it had caused to both of his arms. Rey had offered with a firm, "I can take over from here." He merely ignored her and carried on as if he heard nothing.

Hope and relief filled the both of them when a glimpse of civilisation could be seen. Their paces seemed to have picked up because they were among commoners in a second. Kylo Ren examined his surroundings with much skepticism. "You call this town?" There were no buildings but stalls and tents set up in shabby manners.

"Yeah, this is it," she said matter-of-factly. "Welcome to Niima Outpost." _We need to be careful of using the Force here, everyone watches one another in the hopes of seeking an advantage_. Rey led the both of them to Plutt's hut, an overwhelming sense of unease dawning on her out of the blue. The Crolute must have thought her dead after having not shown up for a while.

"Why, why, why, who do we have here?" Came the gruffy voice as the two of them stepped forward to Unkar Plutt's counter. "Rumors told me you were left for dead."

Not desiring for any conversation with the greedy, ruthless junk boss, Rey pointed over to their collection of scrap metal. "Scraps from a TIE Silencer."

The mere mention of the advanced ship piqued the Crolute's interest. The outpost was meant to collect scraps from a war long forgotten. Not from advanced ships of the current war happening. Rey steadied her breathing, not wanting to give away anything.

"And who is he?"

Rey looked at Kylo Ren, whose face was still covered by his black makeshift headgear. "I - "

"I see you're hiring your own scavengers now, eh?" Plutt cut her off, snarling at her at the assumption that his former scavenger was posing a threat to his business.

"How many portions?" She asked directly, not wanting any more formality.

Plutt roared with laughter as he rounded his thugs over to where Rey and Kylo Ren stood. "You think I will pay for that after you _stole_ my ship, you thief?"

Confusion painted her face until she remembered the Millenium Falcon which she and Finn had first hopped on to. "Guards, get them." Rey reached out for her staff just as the thugs took another step closer to them.

"You will send your guards away and let us leave with all the portions you have." Rey recognised the voice. Her eyes shifted over and landed on Kylo Ren who had raised his hand towards Unkar Plutt.

"I will send my guards away and let you leave with all the portion I have," Plutt repeated monotonously. The guards, not being under the influence of Kylo's force was left confused. And Rey immediately took over and put them all to sleep. A repercussive thudding of bodies falling onto the ground echoed around them.

Plutt slammed piles and piles of portions onto the counter, unaware of the body count in his hut. Rey quickly grabbed an armful of those portions, not caring about the excess left behind. She stuffed them into a more suitable sack that Kylo had emptied before hauling it over her good shoulder. "I told you not to use _it_ here."

"Hey, _you_ gave us away first," he accused quickly as they headed out of the hut in a rush. She knew he was right but it was not the time to admit it. "If they sell ships here, maybe we can get one now and leave this dump."

" - _No_ ," Rey cut him off. "Too soon. Plutt will come to anytime now. We'll need to leave first. We come back tomorrow."


	3. AT-AT

They arrived at Rey's former AT-AT home without any conversation exchanged. It should have been unsettling to have Kylo Ren - Skywalker descendant and Jedi killer - stepping into the privates of her territory. But after the events of the day, she could not be bothered. She had trusted him back with his own lightsaber. Having him settle in her humble abode for the night was nothing.

"Stay away from that side. There are traps I've laid out there."

They stepped inside the body of the AT-AT and it became apparent that the place was too small for someone as tall as Kylo Ren. He scrutinised the place, left as it was when she had first left it unintentionally. There was a workbench with aging blueprints of ships, a time-worn hammock at the corner, and a computer terminal that did not look functional. He suspected it was in working condition however.

There was a small collection of withering flowers that caught his attention. Kylo Ren went over to inspect it as Rey busied herself in preparing the bread portions. She mixed them with a few drops of water from a pitiable makeshift-tap that leaked water instead of running water. While waiting for the chemicals to react, she looked to find a suitable mat for Kylo to sleep on while she takes her hammock for the night.

As she busied herself, little did she notice Kylo Ren's increasing intrigue over her humble collection of flowers. He desired to touch it, seeing how representative the collection was of her wholesome being. But he embodied the direct opposite of her being and if he were to make any contact with the collection, he feared the flowers might dissipate into ashes. He resolved to keeping his hands behind him as he inspected them. "Is this a favourite past-time of yours?"

Striking a casual conversation felt odd. Both of them were exhausted from the war which they have been momentarily spared from. A casual conversation could not harm supposed enemies who were accidentally displaced from the battlefield. As much as they cared to admit, they both needed it, especially if the only things they had in common were fertile ground for heated arguments.

"It helps to liven each day and bring me hope," she answered, turning to the next bread portion to prepare. "It's not like there's much to do here."

He did not want to pry, given how they have implicitly terminated their business with each other the moment she had refused to join him. But there was something fascinating about the light that spurred her each day to live and make decisions on her own. "And what hope is that?" he asked. It was hard to tell if he drew the question in a nonchalant manner or a contemptuous one.

 _To see my parents_ , she wanted to say. But they had both established that that was mere wishful thinking already. "Hope that I will survive the next day, and the next week … Your bread's ready."

Kylo Ren joined her and they both sat down to feast on the meagre bread portion. A day in the life of the scavenger, he mused to himself. The last thing he expected out of the war was to be immersed in Rey's life before she had been sucked into the grand galactic narrative. The bread tasted stale and inedible, it was hard to believe that the girl in front of him had lived on these for almost her whole life.

There was a long silence between them. Silence that was the result of their famished state more so than their different allegiances. For a moment, all they could hear was each other's chewing, at some points drinking. Rey kept a reasonable supply of water which she had reserved very carefully back then.

"Do you want more?" Rey had asked when she saw that he had finished. She normally wouldn't have asked but they had an excess from Plutt's hut. She predicted that they would not be stranded there for too long. Kylo Ren waved her off as if to say he did want more but he could handle himself. He helped himself to a portion and got it prepared.

Her answer to his question never left his head. It was simple enough yet thought-provoking for someone who lived life with the desire to enact revenge as opposed to the hopefulness of living another day. "What about hope for the war? Do you think you can make it out alive at the end of it all?" _Especially since we're alone now_ , he implicitly said. The latter need not be communicated through any forms for Rey to pick up.

She paused at her food, watching him with wary eyes that later turned soft and almost welcoming to him. "I think you know my answer to that."

Kylo Ren shook his head in convoluted amusement as he helped himself to his second portion.

"Do you?" She posed the question back as she finished.

There was a thoughtful silence before Kylo Ren decided not to prolong it out of fear of becoming uncertain of his answer. "Of course," he said, almost a little smugly. "Just not in the way you expect, of course. I'm fighting a different war now."

"And what is that? Introducing a new order to the galaxy?" She was merely repeating the very words he had proposed to her. "How different will it all be if the means to get to it is the same?"

"You speak like the Resistance knows any better if they had the upper hand."

"You, of all people, would know that," she pointed out.

The conversation stopped then. _General Organa_. Princess Leia. His _mother_. She would know how to instil peace and order to the galaxy. She knew the right people to appoint. But carrying with her were the same old ideals that have already proven to be unsustainable during her lifetime. Proven by her own son's turn to the dark side, perhaps, but if not Ben Solo, might it have been Rey? Would Snoke have crept behind Rey's conscience and whispered false promises to lead her to the dark side if it had not worked out for him?

"We're two sides of the same coin, Rey," Kylo Ren stated. "Things will never be the same again. And one of us will be the one to make that change happen." If the Resistance wins, he could not bare to think the results of it. Would he be long dead, or would he be a part of it? What role would he play? And how would the galaxy be any different from what it was before? Kylo Ren would not let himself think too much of it, having full conviction that his vision will actualise at the end of the day.

"We may be on opposing sides but if we're both two sides of the same coin, we're guaranteed to be inseparable," she said objectively. "That means we come in a package deal."

"Are you saying you will turn for me?" He asked once more, a temptful look on his face. "Because it sure does sounds like you're reconsidering."

"No, Ben." She shakes her head. "I hate to admit it, but you've given me hope. My side of the offer will always stand."

He gave her hope. The thought was a joke. But he did not understand how she could say it so genuinely. Almost as if she _believed_ it deep in her heart. "What? I give in to the Resistance and have my head beheaded?"

"Not unless we get to you first, still unrelenting." It sounded harsh and Rey did not believe in this. "But I won't let that happen for as long as I feel the conflict in you."

Kylo Ren watched her, seeking for any signs of wit or jest. He did not want to acknowledge the light feeling she had caused him just yet.

"That makes us the same," he concludes. "My offer still stands too."


End file.
